Marrowforums - Suspicion of Myeloid Malignancy

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Suspicion of Myeloid Malignancy

Today I got the results of my bone marrow biopsy. The pathologist has suspicion of myeloid malignancy or MDS. I am scared to death. The doctor emailed me the results with no explanation of what to expect. The Cytometry said no Acute Leukemia or Non Hodgkins Lymphoma. Does this mean no Leukemia?

Dear Bunny - please try not to be afraid. If you are a Christian, remember God is always with you (Psalm 139).

You will have a huge learning curve, but information is power. Write all your questions down, ready to ask your specialist when you see them next. There's a lot of info on the web too, eg the AA and MDS International Foundation.

All the best!

Cheryl

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnyj1957 (Post 26261)

Bunnyj1957,

The doctor should have taken the time to explain what's been ruled out, what's still a possible diagnosis, and what to do next. Perhaps you need an appointment to get that information, but one way or another you need to ask the doctor.

I believe what the pathologist is saying is that they've ruled out lymph node problems (Hodgkin's lymphomas, Non Hodgkins Lymphoma) and narrowed it to diseases of the blood cells (myeloid malignancies). That category includes MDS, chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), with at least AML ruled out.

It'll be important to learn what your chromosome analysis shows and also what your blast count is. The doctor should give you this information, when it's available, and explain it to you as well. If not, you have to be pushy and ask for explanations.

There were no blasts in peripheral blood or bone marrow. Platelets and megathrombocytes were elevated. In bone marrow Megakarocytes were abnormal and +1 Reticulin fibrosis. The marrow has been forwarded to a lab for chromosome and FISH analysis. My doctor emailed today and said there is a diagnosis of Essential Thtrombosis and not to worry. A little easier said than done.

I'm glad the doctor isn't worried. That's good news. But I understand why it's hard for you not to worry anyway, since you don't yet have complete information.

We'll keep our fingers crossed.